He graduated from the DAV College and Faculty of Law, University of Delhi.

He began his legal career in his father's chambers in 1955, and was appointed as a Judge of Punjab and Haryana High Court in October 1979.

Over the course of his Supreme Court tenure, Punchhi authored 142 judgments and sat on 776 benches.

[1] Post retirement, he was appointed by the Government of India as the Chairman of the Centre State relations commission, subsequently known as the Punchhi commission, which dealt with matters pertaining to the Centre-State relations in India.

His daughter Priya is married to BJP politician Sanjay Tandon.